What is the rationale for recruiting a "type"?
 

This might seem like a weird question, but here we go.

Why do some chapters recruit a certain "type"? I'm not asking for membership selection information and I'm pretty certain that there is no NPC group that always recruits the same "type" on every campus.

Without going too much into Tri Delta membership selection, we were always encouraged to recruit a diverse group of women. We wanted a well-rounded chapter with different women in terms of majors, hometowns, looks, campus involvement, etc.

So I guess I'm curious what motivates certain chapters to go for a certain look or type. Campus reputation? Wanting to be around people just like themselves? Fraternity relationships?

Thoughts or experience with this? Thanks! :)

Do you mean like why does the hot blonde (or any other popular stereotype) house always recruit hot blondes? Because being known as a hot blonde is important to them. I'm pretty sure no one discussing Greek life on the Internet is going to have a meaningful rationale for that.

Otherwise, I think it's important for chapters to think of their future pledge class not only as individuals but also how they'll do as a class. If you bid 50 wonderful girls who are all type-A leadership types, that pledge class is going to be a hot mess. Instead, if you bid 50 wonderful girls who are a mix of leaders, active followers, creative girls, athletic girls, and any other sort of "type" of person who is useful to an organization's growth and advancement then you're going to be better off.

Are you sure they recruit a type? Have you thought maybe they just recruit girls that are just similar to themselves?

I think when you look at some pictures on chapter websites, you can tell that there are groups that definitely recruit a type. We had a couple where I went to school as well. It was well-known and obvious.

I guess it is hard for me to fathom that the highest goal of a group of college women is that they are the "hot blondes" on campus. I know it is probably the case, but still...

This.

I think that some sororities do recruit "types" but it may not be a conscious thing. One group at Auburn seemed to attract the girls who were upper-class and strong Christians. One at Arkansas was said to carefully choose their new members with an eye to taking as many beauty titles as possible.

Now you definitely see some sororities aim for the girls with the best grades (because they're proud of their standing on campus) or jocks (they practically advertise being #1 in intramurals on their campus for 20 years). I recall one chapter that tried to pledge the girls with the best voices because they were so determined to win the Christmas Sing every year. Said the former Panhellenic president from back in the day when we met up a few years ago:"Don't you remember how everyone else would maybe get out there with antlers and sing Rudolph? And then that group would sing the Hallelujah Chorus in black gowns in 8-part harmony."

Unless you are in the room when they are selecting members I don't think you can say that for sure. I know on my campus the chapter who is the HBH still have members who don't fit that stereotype at all. You only notice that a majority of the women are "hot blondes" but the rest fade back. Also you can't base membership simply on photos on a website. Those photos are always selected to show the chapter in the best light.

Why is it that some people assume that just because you and your sisters are attractive and care about your appearance that it's your only or highest goal? My collegiate chapter was often described as the hot blondes but we were also the highest GPA house my entire tenure there and won many national philanthropy awards as well as academic accolades. All women are multidimensional.

I think, if anything, chapters are more likely to consciously recruit for what they DON'T have enough of in their chapter, e.g. "We sucked at intramurals this year, let's try for some more athletes" or "it would be great if we had more artsy types for making bid day banners".

PNMs coming thru may have older friends from HS in sororities on campus. They may be drawn to that chapter because they have(or had) a strong friendship with the older girl and at the same time the older girl might really be pulling for her PNM friends because they were friends back home. In the same vein, they may not like a chapter because of a hometown girl they knew back in HS.

Because you met/saw one or two members in one or two situations acting shallow or stuck up and that automatically means that the entire chapter is like that, of course ;)

Seriously now, I think it's part of the way that people would rather identify a group by a negative trait than a positive one, the way news reports on Greek life are almost always negative. Story about bright, caring girls doing philanthropy? Boring. Story about shallow, controlling stepford wives making their pledges line up and circle their fat? Much more interesting/profit-making. In the same way, when Greeks look for a one-liner to sum up a house you can't go "oh they're smart involved house" because that's not very interesting (and hopefully describes most chapters at the school), but "blonde cokewhores" is much more interesting and makes us feel better about our own group. It's easy to be rude to the blonde cokewhores and not feel bad about talking badly about them in an attempt to get more/better new members- much harder to do so with the smart involved house (who happens to be pretty).

Alternately, I do believe that there are houses that value good looks during MS, among other things of course. But if you're in a group that doesn't (or, more sensitively, can't because you don't get those girls) value good looks during MS, you start rationalizing that the others are superficial human beings and you're better than them because you're not like that. It kind of sucks to think that other groups might have value when your whole selling point is "join us because those girls are useless hot blonde clones".

Think about how often you meet best friends who look like sisters? Like attracts like and people that hang around each other a ton will start developing similar interests and tastes.

So even if the "Hot Blonde" chapter recruits a "Not Hot Bruenette" she's likely to start eating and working out like her sisters. So maybe she becomes "Hot". If she has lots of bottle blonde sisters she may decide to give it a whirl too. Now she's just another "Hot Blonde" sister.

This!